Dick Allen

The White Sox prefer a left handed OF. They were in on Gordon. Wanted Cespedes but he has reverse splits. The Rogers report that they prefer a LH hitter and Fowler is better as a RH hitter is sort of true, but he is basically the same as Adam Eaton from the left side vs. RH pitchers. Eaton .355 OBP .782 OPS, Fowler .351 OBP .761 OPS. Sign him up and end this now.

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 06:39 PM) in the Puig article, Merkin has stated that the sox 'appear unwilling' to give up a pick for Fowler Merkin is not making much sense. If they aren't willing to give up a pick for Fowler, then why would they even talk to him? And if they are unwilling to give up a pick for Fowler, why would they have any interest is paying the price for Puig? I really wanted Puig, but that thing with his sister, even though he supposedly was cleared, made me think he is a time bomb not worth the trouble.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 08:44 AM) On HawkeyeReport.com publisher Tom Kakert’s message boards, cynical anger about the Hawkeyes’ recruiting has been replaced by, well, nothing much at all. According to Rivals’ rankings, Iowa’s 2015 class averaged 2.71 stars per player. The 2016 class is just slightly better, at 2.83. Yet there seems to be a renewed confidence in the coaching staff after Iowa’s 12-0 regular season and first Rose Bowl appearance in 25 years. That wasn’t the case in the summer, when Iowa nabbed most of its expected class of 25 recruits in a commitment binge. “The criticisms of this class in July and August are no longer being made in January and February,” Kakert said. “That’s in large part because of 12-0.” Overall, recruiting websites are ranking Iowa's class around 40th nationally and seventh or eighth in the Big Ten Conference. That's an upgrade from the Class of 2015. But as we've learned over the last 17 years, Iowa under Kirk Ferentz doesn't take its recruiting lead from star ratings. http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/co...imore/79703972/ Fwiw, the last time Iowa had a bunch of 4 and some 5 star guys from Chicagoland, it turned out to be a complete disaster. The only one who turned out halfway decent was TE Anthony Moeaki. Most of the guys in this class were already committed before Iowa got off to that 12-0 start. If they can continue to build on it again this year, they'll definitely be in some a few more 4 and 5 star type players, but it has never been Ferentz's style. They already have at least one for next year. Maybe the most highly ranked football recruit in school history.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 03:05 PM) http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/players-vie...uture-managers/ I honestly cannot think of anyone on the Sox; and that's a problem. I would think Avila would be a good candidate eventually.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 01:46 PM) Because of Maitan? No. They have guys lined up for the J2 in which they are going over. They have to sign him the next signing period or punt on the guys they have lined up. Check that, the answer is obviously yes.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 01:37 PM) I know what you mean. I have no clue what changed with Eaton from '14 to '15. At this point, I would move Eaton to RF because he has the arm for it. He's probably better suited for RF than Fowler. It all might be moot, but I really think the Sox will sign Fowler.

It's really good news for Theo if it really does happen.

Ethier would be fine, but he most likely would cost players, plus he is 34 coming off his best year in a while, and he is switching leagues, so there may be an adjustment period. Fowler's offensive numbers in Houston were pretty stellar. Plus Fowler can play CF.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 01:17 PM) Somewhere in one of the numerous outfielders threads, it was debated as to where to play the outfielders if Fowler was signed. According to fangraphs, Fowler is a slight upgrade in CF over Eaton and I think Eaton could play better RF defense than Melky and certainly better than Avi. I agree, plus if you moved Eaton to LF and Melky to RF, that is moving 2 guys different places. Moving one is OK, and it makes more sense anyway IMO.

I would put Fowler in CF, Eaton in RF, and keep Melky in LF. If the team stays reasonably healthy and the key players can avoid the DL, it contends with any team in the AL Central.

For a guy who now supposedly doesn't provide enough from the left side, Fowler has a career .351 OBP left handed and a .761 OPS. And he can play against LHP. Fowler is the better option. I think they are using the press to try to get Fowler to sign.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 03:19 PM) Was Mark ever really in anything resembling pitching shape???? We're talking about a position where CC Sabathia was once an ace and Bartolo Colon is still good. It is not necessarily his weight, these guys are on programs including shoulder and leg work. I actually was at a seminar Allen Thomas was talking about it. They start up November 15.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:53 PM) And it seems to me we've seen how well it's worked and you're ok with that. You asked me to show you where I said you were ok with where this team is and your reply then states you're ok with where this team is. Well, no, that is not what I wrote. I want the White Sox to be better. What I am OK with is the process. It hasn' t worked out yet. That doesn't mean it won't. I expect Melky, LaRoche, and Robertson to be better in 2016. Frazier is a gigantic upgrade at 3B, Lawrie is an upgrade a 2B, Saladino has to be replacement level to be an upgrade at SS. The catching situation appears better to me. The bullpen should be a little stronger with Jones farther from surgery and here the entire season. There will be another OF in the mix. Samardzija is gone but he led the league in runs give up, so I really don't see much of a downgrade even if Johnson doesn't pan out, and Rodon around the entire season replacing many Noesi starts should at least offset any possible downgrade from last season there. All in all, this will be a much better team on paper, but they have to play the games. I think they will be good. You think they will suck. We will see who is right.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:53 PM) Given this is from Rogers, I think it's fake leak and Sox are pushing towards the end with Fowler. That's what came to my mind first. Although Ethier, depending on how much money they eat could make sense. And Kaplan does get Cubs inside info. He basically said they were out yesterday.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:35 PM) I never stop being amazed how hard it is to read articles on sun times. I actually found it on a yahoo page not knowing it was the Sun Times and it worked OK for a minute. But you are right, the Sun Times is ridiculous on line.

For those who can't deal with the Sun Times on line, Cowley basically said Gar knows he won't win a power struggle with Pax and he is letting the rest of the league know the Bulls mess has nothing to do with him just in case he gets whacked. He is also cozying up to Michael Reinsdorf. He is getting his ducks in a row. But it is Cowley.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:20 PM) As long as you're content with the performance of the White Sox for the past several seasons then I will concede. The White Sox should continue playing guys who are likely to fail in a number of positions while spending heavily elsewhere and ignoring those holes. It's likely to keep working just as well as it has been. And no one is more content with how this organization is performing than you. When did I ever write that? Please show me. The one thing I have noticed from the doom and gloomers, your ideal situation is a guaranteed 3 or 4 year stretch where the White Sox are even worse than they have been. Seems to me they have been attempting to fill holes the past 2 offseasons, and are still trying to fill one or two right now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:12 PM) Tell you what, you read my post, look at the bolded which you didn't bother reading because otherwise you would never have said that, and then go read a statistics textbook to figure out what the odds are of failure for a guy who I call a "1/5 shot to turn their career around". But you said earlier the White Sox don't give guys like Avi a chance to play because they are in win mode. Apparently you were wrong. If you want the White Sox to be in the business of fielding a team full of 1/5 shots, you probably wouldn't last long.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:05 PM) Then it's a clear mistake to give time to guys or trade for guys who are 1/5 shots to turn their careers around. And of course, why we needed to find a different RF for next season, bringing us back to the reality that Ethier's just about the best option remaining. But the Sox gave Avi Garcia a young player a lot of playing time to fight through his struggles, correct? Is he going to breakout if given another chance?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:03 PM) You keep acting like they won't be doing that anyway if they miss the playoffs for the next 1-2 years while the Cubs dominate the market, as the teams are set up to do. If the White Sox could average another 1 million a year more than they draw now to tank the next 4 seasons, it might be worth it to see at least what you could get for Sale and Abreu and Quintana (hey a minor league free agent the Sox let pitch), Eaton, etc. But they don't. It is nice to know you find rebuilds to be quite easy and damn near foolproof.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:58 PM) So you agree the White Sox should be in rebuilding mode? Absolutely not.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:51 PM) Drops the f***ing mic. The White Sox haven't done that? Obviously, not the same result as Arreitta, who was a throw in, and who never really fought through these struggles with the Cubs you speak of, but they certainly have given plenty of young players a shot the past 3 seasons.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:42 PM) But of course, that silly notion pretends like "drafting high" is the only thing you do when you're rebuilding. Other things include "Trading to acquire talent" and "playing guys who have struggled but have talent and letting them work through their struggles", and sometimes "taking on guys other teams are willing to sell for a pittance because they believe they're competitive and you have playing time to give them". All of which are valid strategies that have been employed by the teams you cite, and none of which can be employed by a team that gets impatient and insists "We'll be right there at the end!" Who are these players the Cubs gave all the time in the world to work things out, and are now contributing to winning? They did trade to acquire talent. But the only significant player they traded was Samardjiza, and they did that after he turned down a decent extension offer. Seems to me the White Sox have been giving their younger players playing time the last 3 years. Just without success.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:29 PM) Um...ok???????? The Sox got Rodon, not bad. We will see what Fulmer does. Sale was a 12 pick. Do you know, since Dayton Moore has been the GM of the Royals, the White Sox have more accumulative WAR out of their 1st round picks than the Royals? In fact, all of the Royals 1st round picks since 2007, and they have had 6 in the top 8, 5 in the top 5, don't add up WAR wise to Chris Sale. Yet, somehow they won the World Series.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:15 PM) Worth pointing out every time this statement comes up this season: Theo Epstein took over the Cubs in October of 2011. Since Theo Epstein took over the Cubs that franchise has won 297 games over 4 seasons. Since that same date, the Chicago White Sox have won...297 games. You should also point out during that time the Cubs drew 11,137,363, the White Sox drew 7,140,999. Close to 1 million fans a year more. In fact it they could have matched the Cubs attendance, it would have been the greatest 4 year stretch in their history. The only reason to tank is for the first round pick. After that, any player you can select is available to a team that tried to contend but did not as long as they have their draft picks. The Cubs being awful got them Bryant and Schwarber. All the other guys they could have acquired anyway.